


Catching Waves of Color

by hanicanendme



Category: K-pop, LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Major Character Injury, Sad Ending, Surfer Hyunjin, Surfer Jinsoul, Surfer Kim Lip, brief hyejoo appearance, soft, soft gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2020-07-26 00:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20034856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanicanendme/pseuds/hanicanendme
Summary: People are born into this world only able to see in black and white. A bland, colorless world. The only way to escape a colorless world and discover color is to find your soulmate. Once you find the one and touch their skin, the world will bloom with a rainbow of color. When your soulmate dies, the world reverts back to black and white, signaling loneliness. Jinsoul is the only one out of her friends who has yet to find her soulmate and it torments her everyday. Little does she know, on the other side of the world, someone struggles with same thing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> cowabunga nerds :D leave feedback and opinions in the comments below

**People are born into this world only able to see in black and white. A bland, colorless world. The only way to escape a colorless world and discover color is to find your soulmate. Once you find the one and touch their skin, the world will bloom with a rainbow of color. When your soulmate dies, the world reverts back to black and white, signaling loneliness. Jinsoul is the only one out of her friends who has yet to find her soulmate and it torments her everyday. Little does she know, on the other side of the world, someone struggles with same thing.**

"This fucking sucks," Jinsoul groaned as she stared out the passenger side window in the car, rain trickling down it. The blonde traced her finger down the paths of the droplets as they raced down the glass.

"What's wrong, Jinsoul?" Sooyoung asked from the drivers seat. "You've been pissed off since before we went shopping."

"I am the only one in our friend group who still sees in black and white! I can't even drive because I can't tell the difference between a red, yellow, and green light. I'm sick of this. You and Jiwoo have been childhood best friends so it's kinda cliche but I never saw color with any of my friends. Heejin met Hyunjin in school and I have yet to find them no matter how many I've come into contact with! Surely my person lives around here too. Literally who the hell could be my soulmate?"

"Hey, I've told you this a million times. Your soulmate will come to you when it's time. Jiwoo and I got lucky since we've known each other for so long. Just have a little faith. At least you know there's still a chance they're out there since your vision is black and white. The more anticipation builds up, the more exciting it'll be when you finally meet them."

Jinsoul was upset, but she had to agree. But a troubling thought still lingered in the back of her mind. Some people hadn't even reached adulthood when their soulmate died, meaning a colorless life filled with loneliness and agony trying to hold on to hope that your soulmate is still out there. She quickly shook her head to clear the stressful image in her head and watched the raindrops race down the car window.

Sooyoung pulled into their apartment's parking lot and parked the car. Both girls got out and walked into the apartment they shared. Jinsoul immediately went to her room and flopped onto her bed. She was exhausted from a three hour long shopping trip she went on with Sooyoung and just wanted to relax. She picked up her phone to see a text from Hyunjin inviting her, Sooyoung, and Jiwoo to go with her and Heejin to go on a vacation to Costa Rica. Wait. FUCKING COSTA RICA?!

"Sooyoung, did you see this?" Jinsoul yelled as she came running into the living room where the black haired girl was watching Netflix. "Hyunjin and Heejin are inviting us and Jiwoo to go on vacation with them."

Sooyoung walked over to where she was and gasped as soon as she saw the text. "Costa Rica? What the fuck, how'd she get the money to take all five of us, all expenses paid?!"

"Did you forget how rich her girlfriend is? Heejin could probably buy Costa Rica. Anyways, she said we're going to Playa Jaco so I'm assuming Hyunjin wants to get back into surfing or something." Jinsoul rubbed her neck at the thought of surfing. "God, it's been forever since I've been on a board. How about you, Sooyoung?"

"Never surfed in my life. But, I'm still going to go because it's vacation with everything paid for. I'll let Jiwoo know and she better not say no," Sooyoung replied as she picked up her phone to text her girlfriend. Seconds after she sent the text, Sooyoung's phone pinged over and over again.

"I'm going to assume she said yes," Jinsoul laughed as Sooyoung nodded with a smile. "Which I've been wondering... why don't the two of you live together?"

"What, are you trying to kick me out of your apartment?"

"Oh please, if I wanted to do that, I would've booted your ass to the street a long time ago," Jinsoul grinned. "I'm just curious since you two are soulmates and all."

"Well, her parents still want her at home while she's in college," Sooyoung shrugged. "Plus I didn't exactly make the best first impression with her parents."

"What did you do... Wait! Don't tell me. I'm gonna guess either you broke something in their house or said something you shouldn't have."

"Ding ding ding! Both are correct."

"God, you're hopeless. I'm sure Jiwoo is counting down the days y'all can live together. Then you'll have to leave me," Jinsoul pouted dramatically, topping the look off with puppy eyes.

"Don't worry, Jinsoul, you'll find the one soon that can replace me," the older girl said as she patted the blonde. "Until then, which color should I wear?" she said with a teasing smile as she picked up a red shirt and green shirt.

"Shut the fuck up, asshole," Jinsoul rolled her eyes as Sooyoung burst into a fit of laughter.

The two packed their things, picked up Jiwoo from her house, and drove to the airport. Long lines that moved slowly snaked through the airport, causing Jinsoul and the others to grow restless.

"Did Heejin really have to pick the busiest travel weekend during the year," Jiwoo groaned while rubbing her temples.

"She's the queen of impulsive decisions," Sooyoung shrugged. "We've been friends for years, Jiwoo, you should know this."

"Yes, yes, I know, it just gets on my nerves," Jiwoo sighed.

After about thirty more minutes of waiting, the three girls finally got through customs and made their way to the designated terminal. When they finally reached the terminal, Heejin and Hyunjin were waiting at the terminal. "Oh my god, I haven't seen you guys in forever!" Hyunjin exclaimed as the group all hugged each other. "Sorry for the super late invitation, you can blame Heejin."

"Hey, at least I'm taking us on vacation," Heejin scoffed. "Keep talking like that, and I'll leave y'all here."

Sooyoung threw up her hands in surrender. "Yes ma'am."

The group all laughed and boarded the plane, and prepared themselves for the twenty-one hour plane ride.


	2. Chapter 2

"We're finally at the hotel, thank goodness," Jinsoul mumbled as she flopped onto the bed. She was sharing a luxury suite with Sooyoung and Jiwoo that overlooked the beach. The room had two king size beds and a sizable bathroom with one of those fancy showers that were almost impossible to figure out how to use.

"The view is beautiful!" Jiwoo said as she stepped out onto the balcony. "And look at all those waves in the water! Jinsoul, you gonna do any surfing?"

"Eh, maybe," the blonde replied as she joined the younger girl. She let out a long sigh as she looked over the beach. "I can only dream of how beautiful and colorful the world is right now. The blue water, the white sand, hell, I don't even know what those colors look like. Well, I guess I know white."

Jiwoo looked at Jinsoul and draped her arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm reassuringly. "Why don't you go ahead and go surf then? I see some nice waves down there. And maybe it'll help take your mind off of this whole soulmate situation. Plus, this is your opportunity to get back into surfing after such long time since you didn't have time before."

"Jiwoo is right," Sooyoung said from behind them, startling the two girls.

"Shit, Sooyoung, don't go up behind people like that," Jinsoul snapped as she slapped her arm. Sooyoung giggled and apologized to them. "Forreal, Jinsoul. Get out there and surf a little. Clear your mind."

Jinsoul nodded to them, put on her black and blue (well to her, black and grey) wetsuit, and went on her way to the beach. She rented a board for the hour and walked down the sand towards the water. Even without color, the waves looked amazing. The way the water rose and tumbled over itself in a never-ending cycle was mesmerizing. Jinsoul had always loved surfing, but she had to give it up when she went to college since she didn't have time between or after class. It felt good to be back.

"Jinsoul! Over here!" Jinsoul turned to where the sound was coming from and recognized Hyunjin waving to her from her board out in the water. The blonde swam out to her and sat on her board next to her. "Catch any good waves yet?"

Hyunjin shook her head. "No," she sighed. "There's this one chick in a red wetsuit who keeps stealing all the good ones. She's a good ass surfer, don't get me wrong, but she needs to give us at least one. No one likes a wave hog."

"Well I don't know how I'm going to be able to find her," Jinsoul reminded her with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Oh, believe me. You'll see her, even if all you see is black and white. There's just something about the way she surfs... it's almost like she's flying on the water," Hyunjin said as she looked up at the sky. Suddenly, they could feel themselves being pulled out to sea. "Oh a wave is forming! And the pull is strong. This one feels big!"

The two girls laid down on their boards and paddled out to where the wave was forming. They slowly got up as they were getting ready to ride the wave. The wave came crashing down and Hyunjin and Jinsoul surfed along it. Jinsoul hadn't felt this free in a long time. Even on the colorless wave, it was still strikingly beautiful.

As Jinsoul closed her eyes and felt the sea breeze flowing through her hair, her board was suddenly knocked from under her and she plunged into the ocean. She flailed her arms, struggling to reach the surface. She was losing oxygen fast, and it was getting harder to hold her breath.

Finally, she broke through the surface, gasping for air. She saw Hyunjin quickly swimming out to her on her board and pulling her up to let her hang on to the end of it. "Oh my God, Jinsoul, are you okay? Holy shit!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," she said in between rapid and raspy breaths. "What the hell just happened?"

"That dumbass in the red wetsuit hit you! On purpose!" Hyunjin exclaimed. "Look at her, she's over there at the beach parading around like a damn peacock. Let's go back, I'm gonna give that bitch a piece of my mind."

The two girls swam back to shore where a small crowd was gathering. Jinsoul looked in the middle of the screaming girls and saw the person who she assumed was the one who had knocked her off the board. Her board was top of the line, wetsuit fit perfectly, and her confidence was beaming brightly. _God, she really is like a fucking peacock_, the blonde thought to herself.

Suddenly she saw Hyunjin fly past her and shove the girl to the ground, landing on top of her. "What the hell is your problem?! You almost killed my friend when you hit her board! She could've drowned!"

The girl scrambled from under Hyunjin and got up, dramatically brushing the sand off of her. "She was in the way," she retorted. "And get your filthy hands off of me. Do you even know who I am?"

"I couldn't give two shits about who you are. You could have killed her! Have some common decency and apologize to her. Jinsoul, get over here."

Jinsoul quickly walked over to where the two girls were standing and stood next to Hyunjin. The smaller girl grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her in front of the girl. The dark haired surfer's glare pierced straight through the blonde. Jinsoul wanted to hide. This was so embarrassing, especially in front of the crowd of people around them. "Hyunjin, I don't think this is that impor-."

"Kim Jungeun doesn't need to apologize to anyone!" one of the girls yelled, cutting Jinsoul off.

"Who?" Jinsoul asked, then immediately regretted it when she saw Jungeun's dark eyes glare at her.

"I'm Kim Jungeun. I'm the four-time winner of the surfing competition here in Playa Jaco. Now get the hell away from me. You're distracting me from talking to the ladies."

"Oh, ok, cool. Now apologize, bitch," Hyunjin warned. Jinsoul could feel the tension growing between Jungeun and her friend. She was sure she was able to see lightning sparking from each of their eyes, clashing for dominance. It was terrifying. She'd never seen Hyunjin get this upset before.

Jungeun scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm sorry. Next time, find your own wave to surf on. You know what? Find another beach."

Hyunjin's eyes burned into Jungeun's back as the crowd watched the surfer strut away triumphantly. She was about to go after her again before Jinsoul grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Hyunjin, wait, just leave it. She's clearly not gonna break. I'm fine now. Let's just go back to the hotel."

Hyunjin looked back at Jinsoul about to protest, but ended up unclenching her fists and surrendering. The girls picked up their boards, returned them to the rental booth, and walked back to the hotel.


	3. Chapter 3

"I still can't believe that girl," Hyunjin muttered under her breath as her, Heejin, and Jinsoul walked into the hotel lobby. The three girls walked across the open space to a small bar and each ordered a drink.

"Who are you talking about babe?" Heejin asked after taking a sip.

"This chick named Kim Jungeun we had the pleasure of meeting earlier," Hyunjin sarcastically said. "Probably the biggest narcissist on the planet. She knocked Jinsoul off her board on a wave and almost made her drown."

Heejin rolled her eyes at the mention of Jungeun's name. "Oh, I know her. I didn't expect her to be in Costa Rica of all places. She went to that elite arts school I went to during summers in high school. She was extremely talented, but equally cocky and she got on everyone's nerves. She constantly bragged about her achievements and the girls ate it up, aside from me of course. But one day, she just disappeared. Just completely vanished from the school, from the country now that she's here. She had a bright future ahead of her and a ton of talent, despite her aggressive nature. And I guess she ended up here in Playa Jaco surfing."

Jinsoul stared down at her drink in thought. There had to be some reason for Jungeun to act that way because no one's born an asshole, right? She shook her head from the thought and downed the rest of her mojito.

"Well, I wish she would go somewhere else while we're here so we can at least enjoy vacation. That girl is bad news."

Right as soon as Hyunjin finished her sentence, Jungeun walked into the hotel doors with a girl wrapped around her arm. She locked eyes with Jinsoul and narrowed them at her. "Speak of the devil," the blonde whispered to the couple. Heejin refused to turn around and took another sip of her drink, but Hyunjin immediately turned to look, a fire igniting in her eyes.

Jinsoul sat with her back turned, her body tense as she waited for Jungeun to come over and mess with her. To her surprise, the girl walked past the group and sat at the opposite end of the bar. Jinsoul watched Jungeun strike up a casual conversation with the bartender, which probably meant she was a local. The blonde trailed her eyes along Jungeun's side profile, admiring the perfect curve of her nose and her lips and...

The bartender started making Jungeun a drink and the girl looked over at Jinsoul, who was still staring.

Jungeun winked at Jinsoul with a mischievous smirk, causing Jinsoul to panic a little bit. The brunette laughed as the blonde quickly looked away and flushed. "What the hell are you laughing at?" Hyunjin growled from behind Jinsoul.

"I think Ms. Jinsoul got a little flustered because of me," Jungeun replied. "And calm down, I already apologized earlier, didn't I?"

Hyunjin opened her mouth to snap back but just looked away, cursing under her breath and balling her hands into fists. Heejin had to carefully calm Hyunjin down so she wouldn't start something that'd get them kicked out. Jungeun looked amused and went back to talking to the girl next to her. A few moments later, her phone started vibrating and she picked it up. Jungeun quickly said something to the girl and walked outside the hotel.

"Why are you blushing, Jinsoul? The mojito getting to you already? Since when can't you handle your liquor?" Heejin asked. Clearly she just missed everything that happened.

"I-It's nothing, Jungeun just winked at me and it took me a little by surprise."

"Man, if a girl that heartless can make you blush- Ow, what the hell, Hyunjin!" Heejin complained.

"Shut up Heejin! You know how Jinsoul feels about romance and things like that," her girlfriend whisper-yelled.

Jinsoul was too in her mind to hear the couple bickering next to her. The way Jungeun looked at her made her feel... good? No, it shouldn't. The girl almost made her drown earlier. But for some reason, there was almost a glint of affection in Jungeun's gaze towards her. Like she was trying to say something without actually speaking.

She turned back to where Jungeun and the girl she had brought to see that the surfer hadn't come back. "Did Jungeun just flake on that girl?" Jinsoul asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Hyunjin scoffed as she downed the rest of her drink. "Y'all ready to head back up to our rooms?"

As much as Jinsoul wanted to go back upstairs, she wanted to find out where Jungeun went. Her poor date didn't deserve to be left alone like that. "I'm gonna look for Jungeun and make her apologize to that girl."

"Oh, wow, look at you getting all bold," Heejin giggled with a slurred voice. As the girl tried to get up, she fell on top of Hyunjin, who struggled to catch her.

"Dammit Heejin," she sighed. "Ugh, she always drinks too much. Don't worry about Jungeun, Jinsoul, she's probably just being an asshole to her date. Let's go up to our rooms and get some rest."

Jinsoul hesitantly nodded and got up to help Hyunjin carry Heejin, throwing the drunk girl's arm around her shoulder to hold her up. The blonde looked once more towards the door then turned back around to go into the elevator.

Little did she know, right outside the hotel entrance, Jungeun had received the worst phone call of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow a lot more people than i expected are reading this! thank you for the kudos! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Jinsoul was woken up by a bright ray of sunlight shining through the blinds. She sat up, stretched, and let out a big yawn. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a flash of white moving quickly towards her face.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Sooyoung yelled as she decked Jinsoul with a pillow, knocking the blonde off the bed.

"Sooyoung! Be more careful, you could give Jinsoul a concussion!" Jiwoo scolded from the bathroom.

"You should listen to your girlfriend more often," Jinsoul grumbled face down on the floor.

"Ah, sorry," the black haired girl nervously laughed.

"You're gonna regret that, Sooyoung," Jinsoul warned with a mischievous grin as she rose from the floor with a pillow in each hand.

The two girls continued to have an intense pillow fight, almost knocking over paintings on the walls and statues that decorated the table in the room. They only halted the battle when they saw Jiwoo's piercing glare in the bathroom's mirror.

"Come on. Let's go to the beach today," Jiwoo said, walking out of the bathroom. "I want to go swimming since it's been a while."

"Sounds good to me," her girlfriend replied. "Jinsoul, you up for the beach again?"

The blonde nodded. "Always. Let's just hope Jungeun isn't there to knock me off my board again."

"Jungeun?"

"I was just trying to have a fun day of surfing with Hyunjin and this girl just straight up knocked me off my board! I'm ninety percent sure it was on purpose because she had this stupid grin on her face," Jinsoul scoffed with her arms crossed. As she mentioned Jungeun's grin, her image popped up in the blonde's head and she felt herself flush.

"What the hell? Oh, I'll give that girl a piece of my mind," the brunette said. Jinsoul sighed in relief. It seemed like neither Jiwoo and Sooyoung saw her blushing.

Her girlfriend simply rolled her eyes at this. "Oh please, Jiwoo, you giving someone a piece of your mind is just you lowering your voice."

Jinsoul laughed as the young couple started playfully arguing with each other and got dressed back into her wetsuit. "God, I can't wait to have a girlfriend", she chuckled to herself.

The three girls walked down to the beachside to look for a good place to set up some chairs and lay down towels. The wind was blowing harder than yesterday, creating bigger waves. Jinsoul looked at the huge crests with excitement while Jiwoo, who preferred calmer water, looked at them with disappointment. Surprisingly there were less people out at the beach today than yesterday, even with the huge waves.

They tried looking for Heejin and Hyunjin, but the pair were nowhere to be found. Jinsoul wondered if Jungeun might be out here and tried to look for her. She eventually gave up since she couldn't see Jungeun's signature red wetsuit because of her black and white vision and asked Sooyoung and Jiwoo to look for her.

"There she is!" Sooyoung pointed to a girl farther down the beach. Jinsoul immediately recognized her figure. Something seemed a little off about her though. Jungeun stood alone and just stared out at the beach, unmoving with her arms hugged tightly around her and her board laying flat in the sand. She was almost purposely distancing herself from everyone around her. And she looked extremely uncomfortable.

Jinsoul took her attention off Jungeun and sprinted down the beach towards the water. It felt almost like slow motion or if she was in a movie scene with "Chariots of Fire" playing in the background. The sunshine beaming down onto her back, the strong winds whipping her hair, the sand moving around her feet with every step she took; everything felt just right. She dove into the ocean with her board, submerging herself in the cool water, and came up to where the waves were forming.

The blonde felt the water being pulled out toward sea, signaling a wave forming. And this one felt a lot bigger than the one she surfed with Hyunjin. She stood up on her board and rode the wave out to its finish. "Oh, that felt amazing!" she exclaimed when she got back to Sooyoung and Jiwoo.

"You look good out there!" Jiwoo smiled, taking off her shades. "You're so natural in the water. Maybe you're secretly a mermaid or a fish."

"Hah, thanks, Jiwoo," Jinsoul replied. She turned to look where Jungeun was and saw that the girl was no longer standing there, but surfing a wave. Hyunjin wasn't kidding yesterday when she said Jungeun was an amazing surfer. She effortlessly glided across each wave that challenged her. Her mouth dropped in awe as Jungeun started doing tricks with ease as she jumped the wave.

"Damn! She's good," Sooyoung remarked, looking up from the book she was reading. "Can you do all that stuff, blondie?"

"Probably not, but let's play a game of odds. If we say the same number, then I have to go. If both of our numbers add up to ten, you have to go. If neither of those things happen, I'll still go."

The black haired girl put up a hand. "Hold up. Why would I agree to that? You know I can't surf."

"Oh come on, Sooyoung," Jinsoul whined. "Do it for Jiwoo."

"I approve," the youngest said. "You better do it Sooyoung. And don't say you can't swim, I remember you had that lifeguard job back home."

"But- Ugh, fine," Sooyoung muttered.

"Yes! You better hope you don't lose, babe. I'll count you guys down," Jiwoo giggled as she sat up from her beach towel. "Ready? One, two, three..."

"Seven!" Jinsoul yelled.

"Thre- Oh shit," Sooyoung cursed.

Jinsoul and Jiwoo burst into laughter. "Sooyoung, you already knew my favorite number was seven, dumbass."

"Yeah, I know, I know. Give me that," the oldest girl groaned as she snatched Jinsoul's board out of her hand. "I can't believe I agreed to this."

"Have fun!" Jinsoul shouted as she plopped onto the chair that Sooyoung was sitting on and watched the dark haired girl trudge out to sea. She saw Jungeun paddling in from surfing in the deep water. The brunette got off her board to stand in the waist-deep water and walk the rest of the way in. As soon as she stepped into the water, her face contorted to a grimace and she let out a silent scream. Jungeun limped back onto shore and plopped down on the ground to check out her foot.

"Is she okay?" Jinsoul tapped Jiwoo. "Do you see anything wrong with her?"

Jiwoo sat up and removed her glasses to observe Jungeun, who was sitting there with her foot in her hand examining it. "Nothing that I can see. She might be just tired from all that surfing," the brunette said as she stood up and stretched. "You're welcome to go check on her if you want. Just make sure she doesn't try to drown you again. I'm going to get Sooyoung since she's literally just been laying down on the board out there."

"I'll try not to," Jinsoul rolled her eyes as she got up out of the beach chair and walked over to where Jungeun was sitting. The brunette was still hunched over when Jinsoul got near her.

"Hey, are you oka- Oh my God!" Jinsoul covered her mouth in horror. Even with her black and white vision, she still recognized that dark, thick liquid.

Blood.

Jungeun had clearly cut her foot on something in the ocean, and it needed medical attention fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading this story y'all hope it's good so far :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my updates might be a little slower because i'm going to try to write longer chapters but i hope y'all are enjoying the story :)

"H-Hang on, I have a medkit near my stuff, I'll be right back," the blonde stuttered as she turned to sprint back to where Jiwoo and Sooyoung were sitting on a couple of beach chairs basking in the sun.

"Jinsoul, why are you running around all of a sudden?" Soouyung asked, lowering her head so she could see over her sunglasses.

Jiwoo immediately saw the panic in her friend's eyes. "Is she hurt okay?"

"Is who okay?" Sooyoung said, panic quickly filling her eyes as well.

"It's Jungeun. She has a really bad cut on her foot. She must have stepped on something sharp when she was walking back to shore. I need to get her this," the blonde blurted, grabbing the medkit. "It needs to be treated fast."

Jinsoul ran back over to where Jungeun was and abruptly plopped to her knees with the medkit beside her. "Here, I'll put these on y-."

"I can handle it myself," Jungeun replied flatly as she roughly swiped the bandage from the blonde's hand and began wrapping it around her foot. "It's hopeless now anyways."

Jinsoul was taken aback. "What do you mean hopeless? It's a pretty bad cut, but if it's treated now, you'll be fine."

"I'm not talking about the stupid cut, dumbass. I'm talking about the fact that I won't be able to surf in the competition that's coming up next week."

"It's just a competition," Jinsoul stated. "Join the next one that comes around."

"I can't!" Jungeun screamed, her head down and her whole body shaking with anger. She turned to look Jinsoul in the eyes, tears streaming down her face. "I need the prize money now! I don't have enough time!"

Jinsoul was even more confused. What the hell was she going on about? Jungeun looked like she didn't sleep at all, her face pale and completely devoid of the beaming confidence she had yesterday. "Why do you need the money that badly?"

"I... I can't say. Actually, I don't want to say. Why should I tell you? I barely know you," Jungeun scoffed through sniffles.

The blonde sat down on the ground beside the brunette and tilted her head up in thought. She hummed and tapped her chin, trying to come up with a solution for Jungeun. After about a minute of her thinking and the girl beside her becoming increasingly annoyed by her presence, she came up with an idea.

"Tell you what. I'll participate in the surf competition and if I win, I'll give you the prize money. I don't really need the money since m friend is paying for me, and it seems like you really need it and not just for selfish reasons. Deal?"

Jungeun burst into laughter at Jinsoul's suggestion. "You're fucking kidding me right? You can't surf for shit. What makes you think you can surf in MY place? Just forget it."

The brunette's laughing was cut short when she saw the serious look in Jinsoul's dark eyes. "I'm not kidding. I know I'm not a top surfer like you, but if you were able to teach me some pointers before the competition, you never know. And I'm not as bad as you think."

Jungeun opened her mouth to protest but Jinsoul held a hand in the air to stop her. "And before you decline my offer or insult me more, I'll have you know I used to compete in competitions too. Plus, this could be your only chance to get the money. You are clearly in no condition to compete, so I'm offering you a chance. Do we have a deal?"

Jungeun hesitantly agreed. "Fine. I'll be your 'mentor' or whatever. Just a heads up, I won't go easy on you. You need to be at my level of surfing by next Saturday, which means we have a week to prepare."

"Great! I'll work hard to make sure you can win. Even though you were a complete asshole to me, I'll still help you, because it seems like you really need this prize money."

"I do," Jungeun whimpered, looking down at her foot and wrapping it tightly to stop the slow flow of blood.

"We'll start training tomorrow so you can rest your foot today. I'll get my friend Sooyoung to carry you back to your car because she's a lot stronger than me. I'll be right back to get her."

As Jinsoul stood up and turned to leave, she heard Jungeun call her name.

"Thank you," the brunette said quietly, clearing her throat. "I really do appreciate this."

Jinsoul didn't say anything but responded with a soft smile and nod. She walked briskly to Sooyoung and explained everything to her and returned to Jungeun with her friend in tow.

"Come here, woman," Sooyoung said as she picked up Jungeun and carried her back to her car. After the brunette was put in her car, she thanked the two other girls and drove to the ER to get her foot treated.

"Well, she seemed a lot different than how Hyunjin described her last night," Sooyoung sighed as she and Jinsoul walked back to where Jiwoo was.

"She seemed really distressed about something and was hell-bent on competing in the surf competition next Saturday, like her life depended on it," Jinsoul replied. "I have no idea why though. I don't think I've ever seen someone with that much desperation in their eyes."

"Maybe she's just greedy," the black haired girl shrugged.

Jinsoul didn't think that was the case. The look in Jungeun's eyes wasn't avaricious. It was a cry for help.

"Whatever," Sooyoung yawned, breaking the blonde from her thoughts. "Let's just head into town or something, I'm getting pretty hungry. I'm sure Jiwoo is too."

"Okay, sounds good. I've worked up an appetite too."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also the reason why my updates have been kind of short are because instead of putting multiple scenes in a chapter, i have them separated :D

"Well, today's my first day in surfing hell," Jinsoul muttered to herself as she walked down the beach with her surfboard tucked under her arm. Her wetsuit was clinging tightly to her skin, packed with the humidity the radiated off the waves down the shore. Jungeun was already there, standing with her arms crossed and foot impatiently tapping the ground, watching the blonde stroll towards her.

"I've been waiting here for twenty minutes, where have you been?" Jungeun raised an eyebrow. "You're not exactly making a good first impression to your surf instructor."

"I was driving here... you do realize we never set a time right so technically I'm not late," Jinsoul reminded her. She saw the other girl was in a crewneck, cargo shorts and sandals with a small bandage wrapped around her injured foot. "Besides, where's your classic red wetsuit? Isn't it like your lucky outfit?"

Jungeun scoffed. "Why would I wear a wetsuit when I'm literally going to stay on shore. Ugh, I'm getting distracted. Okay: first, I want you to surf a couple of waves so I can assess your skill level and decide what I need to teach you."

"Sure thing, Coach Jungeun. Just as long as you'll only be watching and not try to drown me."

"Just fucking surf already, good God," the brunette face palmed.

The blonde laughed and trotted down the sand to jump into the water. It made her feel good that Jungeun was back to her snappy self. Now, it was time for her to focus.

Jinsoul easily surfed the waves and thought she was in pretty good shape, even riding the top edge of the waves. When she came back to shore, she expected Jungeun to tell her she said she did well for her first time, but she got the opposite.

"Jeez, you look like an amateur," the brunette scoffed. "Your stance is wrong, you're standing in the wrong spot on the board, and your timing is awful. I can surf better than you blindfolded. I thought you competed before?"

"Well, I did, but it was years ago. My parents made me give it up to study in school," the blonde shrugged.

"Really? It must've been hard. I would never be able to give up surfing," Jungeun said staring down the beach, an empathetic look in her dark eyes. "Anyways, let's get back to training, we're getting distracted again. Practice on dry land first so we can fix your stance and placement on the board."

"Yes, Commander Jungeun, ma'am," Jinsoul jokingly saluted as she plopped her board on the ground.

Jungeun cracked a smile at her gesture. "Can you be serious just for once? You act like a child."

Jinsoul blushed at Jungeun's smile and quickly stood on her board. "Ready to be enlightened, teach."

After about two hours of practicing and getting barked at by Jungeun, Jinsoul could already see and feel huge improvements in her technique. Jungeun was an amazing instructor and she could pinpoint the little mistakes Jinsoul made, even from a distance. "Man, if I've improved this much in just two hours, imagine how I'll be by the competition."

"I have to admit, you are a quick learner. I'm impressed," Jungeun remarked.

"Wait, did you just say you were impressed?" Jinsoul sarcastically gasped.

"Fine, I take it back," Jungeun retorted, turning her back to the blonde.

"I'm just kidding around, oh my lord. Mind if I take a break? It's been a while since I've surfed this much so I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, you can have a fifteen minute break. But after that, back to training, got it? You still have a ways to go before you can win that competition."

"Sounds good to me," Jinsoul sighed as she laid down on the sand. Jungeun sat next to her and stared out into the horizon. The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, soaking in the salty, humid air and listening to the flocks of seagulls cackling above them. Jinsoul closed her eyes and let her mind wander into her thoughts about surfing and the upcoming competition. She rolled over on her side to face the brunette beside her.

"Jungeun, can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away."

"Why are you so hell-bent on the prize money?"

Jungeun bit her lip, pretending to not hear the question and kept staring at the horizon. Jinsoul propped herself up and braced herself, worried she'd get another explosive outburst from the brunette. After a couple of minutes of silence, Jungeun finally responded. "It's for my mother."

"Are you trying to get a gift for your mom? You could get her a lot of nice things since the prize money is ten thousand dollars! You should take her on vacation, my mom loves traveling. I recommend-."

"It's for a surgery. She's in the hospital," Jungeun replied, voice breaking.

"O-Oh... I'm sorry Jungeun, I didn't know."

"It's fine. I know you didn't know," she whispered, wiping her nose. "She has a deadly heart condition and her health is getting even worse. I've been able to afford most of the hospital costs by winning my surfing competitions, and this surgery was supposed to be the last. If my mom can't get this surgery soon, the doctors said that she isn't going to make it."

The brunette kicked her legs out from under her and slammed her fist into the sand, even more tears flowing from her eyes. "I can't believe I hurt my foot at the worst possible time. This really is my last chance."

Jinsoul sat up and looked Jungeun straight in the eyes. "I'm going to win this for you and your mom. I promise."

Tears steadily streamed down Jungeun's face. "Thank you so much, Jinsoul. I'm sorry for being such an asshole to you before."

"Don't worry about it," Jinsoul smiled. "I always try to see the good in people, and you've clearly shown that to me through supporting your mom all this time. Whoever your soulmate is must be very lucky to have you."

"I actually don't have one," Jungeun shrugged. "I still see in black and white. In fact, the only reason I know that my 'classic wetsuit' as you call it is red is because my friend told me. I'm sure you have a soulmate since you're able to see the color of my wetsuit. It must be nice knowing you have someone to grow old with."

"I don't have one either. My friend Hyunjin, the one who body-slammed you, was the one who told me the color," Jinsoul replied, hanging her head. "I'm always jealous of my friends, like Sooyoung and Jiwoo. They have it so nice. I hope the two of us will be able to find the one soon."

Jungeun sniffled and flashed a bright smile at Jinsoul. "Me too. Okay, enough talking about our lonely lives. Let's get back to training. We'll just keep working on your form so you can position yourself to take sharper turns."

"Sounds good to me!" Jinsoul exclaimed as she sprang up and ran back down the beach to dive into the water.

Jungeun wiped her tears and smiled a small smile. Maybe they would have a chance after all. And maybe she would finally be able to cure her mom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i finally got the chance to work on this! hope you enjoy this update :) i'm also going back and updating the other chapters to add more details

The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the wind whipped furiously, which meant it was going to be a beautiful day to surf. Jinsoul stretched her arms and legs as she got ready for her turn to surf. "Well, it's time," the blonde said excitedly as she turned to the brunette on her left. "Let's hope your amazing teaching did the trick and we can kick these other girls' asses."

"You definitely have improved drastically since when I knocked you off your board," Jungeun remarked with a bright smile. "Just remember, the most important thing is to keep your cool and stay focused. You got this."

"Sounds like a plan, boss lady. Be ready to bask in my greatness," Jinsoul said with a mock confidence voice and a superhero pose. "Hey, look, Sooyoung and the others came to watch."

The pair looked farther up the beach to where Sooyoung, Jiwoo, Hyunjin, and Heejin were jumping around and cheering. The girls held up a huge sign that said "GO JINSOUL".

Jungeun chuckled. "You have some interesting friends, that's for sure. They'll call your turn after a few people. I'll be standing here doing a wave dance so you can get lucky."

"Wait, those exist? Just make sure you don't accidentally do a rain dance. Wouldn't want to get all wet, you know?"

Jungeun tilted her head. "What do you mean... you're surfing, it's inevitable that you're going to get wet."

"I was playing around, lighten up woman," Jinsoul winked as she air-punched Jungeun's shoulder. "I'm trying to stay loose."

"You're so annoying," Jungeun shook her head. "Hurry up and get over there before I drag you there myse-."

Jinsoul saw a black haired girl wrap her arm around Jungeun's shoulder, causing her to feel a mix of jealousy and annoyance. The dark haired girl wore a nasty smirk that reeked of the same self-confidence Jungeun had when Jinsoul first met her. "Hey Lippie. Where's your board? You already give up before you started because you know I would win?"

"First of all, get your fucking arm off of me, Hyejoo," Jungeun growled, roughly brushing the girl's arm from her shoulder. "Second of all, Jinsoul will be surfing in my place and she's gonna kick your ass."

"We'll let the judges decide that," Hyejoo sarcastically smiled. "And blondie, try not to fall off your board again. It'd be a shame for you to embarrass yourself in front of the whole beach a second time."

Jungeun flipped off the black haired girl as she strutted away and sighed loudly. "One day, I'm going to just... I don't know what I'm going to do. She's always getting on my nerves."

"Who was that?"

"She's my rival. Son Hyejoo. She's an extremely talented surfer and we're always neck and neck when we go against each other. I was hoping she wouldn't have come here today so we could have a chance."

"Do you really not think we still have a chance?" Jinsoul raised an eyebrow. "Have some faith in me. I'm not that bad. Even the 'Great Kim Jungeun' said so. Or should I say 'Great Lippie'."

The brunette sighed and crossed her arms tightly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. This is going to be tough. I'm warning you, Hyejoo might not look like your typical surfer, but she's really good."

"Pssh. I got this. Just do your wave dance and give me a good one alright?"

Jungeun opened her mouth to make a witty comeback, but she stopped herself and instead smiled. "You got it."

"We're going to win this. For your mom."

Suddenly over the loud speaker, Jinsoul heard her name called along with Hyejoo and a few other girl's names. "Be right back," Jinsoul smiled, causing Jungeun to flush (which was easy to hide from Jinsoul due to her black and white vision).

Jinsoul felt so much more confident in herself and her surfing ability since she started learning from Jungeun. As the week had gone on, Jinsoul saw Jungeun's true self slowly being revealed: a selfless and kind-hearted girl. Jungeun had merely put up a front to prevent anyone from showing weakness, so thankfully Jinsoul was able to get her to open up. Jinsoul knew she had to win this competition for her sake. And for Jungeun's mom.

Astonished gasps sounded from the huge crowd as each surfer flawlessly surfed their waves, but the judges still hadn't given out any high scores. At least, not until Hyejoo worked her magic. Jinsoul's jaw dropped in awe as she saw Hyejoo seamlessly move across the wave. She even added a few tricks to boost her score. When Hyejoo swam back to shore, she received a huge standing ovation from not only the crowd, but the judges. She earned a total score of twenty six out of thirty, which was about ten points higher then the girl currently in second place.

Jinsoul couldn't believe it. When she looked in Jungeun's direction, the brunette had her head in her hands. 

_This is make or break. Come on wave gods, give me something good_, Jinsoul pleaded with her eyes closed.

"Make that wave your bitch, Jinsoul!" Sooyoung screamed across the beach.

Jinsoul laughed to herself. She didn't need to doubt herself. Even though it looked like Jungeun had lost faith, her friends believed in her and that was enough for her.

The blonde cracked her knuckles and popped her neck.

"It's showtime," she whispered to herself. 

The alarm blared, signaling the start of Jinsoul's round to surf. The blonde sprinted down the beach and dove in, immediately swimming out to where she saw the biggest waves forming. She skipped a few waves that were smaller than Hyejoo's and eventually began to run out of time. She turned to look at Jungeun who was standing on the shore, intently watching Jinsoul and chewing on a finger nervously. Jinsoul could feel panic starting to bubble inside. If she waited too long, she would lose her chance and Jungeun wouldn't be able to get the money. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Hey Lippie!" she called out. "Do that wave dance you were talking about."

The crowd laughed and Jungeun looked away, embarrassed. Then, Jinsoul saw her start to bounce around to a steady rhythm and eventually started moving so awkwardly that it probably couldn't even be called dancing. Was it a mix of the chicken dance and shaking?

All of a sudden, the water underneath Jinsoul started being dragged out towards sea, signaling a wave forming. And this one was probably the biggest one Jinsoul had ever surfed on.

"No way! It fucking worked!" Jinsoul yelled in excitement.

The blonde turned her board around and positioned herself in the best spot to start off her run. She felt the wave rise behind her and timed her pop-up perfectly. The wave began to crash to her right and she carved to gain speed and escape it. Jinsoul felt like she was flying. The beach wind flowing through her hair, the salty seawater spraying in her face. It felt like the first time she surfed out here, except Jungeun wasn't there to knock her off of her board. Instead, Jungeun was supporting her.

The blonde's dark eyes focused on the fleeting water ahead of her and she started moving up and down the wave, spinning around on her board as if she were dancing. Jinsoul even did a kick flip, superman, and tail slide, knowing it would bring her score past the other girls since they hadn't done any tricks. Now, all she had to do was do something to beat Hyejoo.

An air 360? No, Hyejoo had already done a few aerial tricks so that wouldn't be enough to pass her. Jinsoul was running out of wave, so she needed to come up with something quick.

She flashed a quick glance towards shore and saw everyone watching her in anticipation, waiting to see if Jinsoul could pull something out of her sleeve to beat Hyejoo.

Finally, an idea came to her head, and it was an incredibly stupid one at that. Jinsoul slowly shuffled up near the front of her board. "I'm probably going to regret this," she groaned to herself.

Suddenly, she leaned down and placed her hands on the board.

Hyejoo laughed and called out to Jungeun. "What'd you do Lippie? Teach her downward dog?"

"Shut the hell up," Jungeun yelled back at Hyejoo. She turned back to look at Jinsoul and whispered to herself, "God, Jinsoul, don't do anything stupid and get yourself hurt."

_Well... here goes. _Jinsoul bent then kicked her legs up in the air to stand in a headstand on the front of her board. Thunderous cheers sounded from the crowd as Jinsoul surfed the huge wave... standing upside down?

"What the fuck is she doing?" Hyunjin exclaimed.

"Winning," Heejin shrugged. "You know how competitive Jinsoul can get. I think this competition kind of 're-ingnited her fire'."

Jungeun couldn't believe her eyes. She covered her face with her hands and partially moved her finger from over her eyes she could see what the blonde was doing. Jinsoul was fucking crazy. And fucking crazy is exactly what they needed.

After about ten seconds of standing and carefully balancing on her hands on her board, Jinsoul finally returned to her normal stance to finish out the wave. As she swam back to shore to be judged, she hoped to herself that her unbelievable and reckless stunt was enough to surpass Hyejoo's breathtaking run.

Walking up the sand, she kept her head down and her arm tightly clutched around her surfboard, hoping the judges would show her a little mercy. What if the judges disqualified her for pulling off that handstand? Maybe there was an unwritten rule about doing a trick like that?

To her surprise, Jinsoul was swarmed by the cheering crowd. She was showered with complements and congratulations and looked over to see a stupefied Hyejoo with her jaw dropped to the floor. Her eyes led to the judges stand where she let out a small scream. Each judge held up a perfect ten, meaning Jinsoul had won the competition.

Sooyoung and the rest of Jinsoul's friends jumped around and cheered as Jinsoul was handed the ten thousand dollar check and a massive shiny trophy. The blonde held it up for the world to see and glanced at Jungeun, who was beaming. Jinsoul softly smiled and nodded at her, which was her way of saying to the brunette, _We did it_.

After she stepped down from the podium, Jinsoul was immediately tackled by Hyunjin, who squeezed her tightly and began scolding her. "What the hell was that handstand? Don't you ever do something that stupid ever again! I thought I was going to have a heart attack watching you!"

"Hyunjin, I can't breathe," the blonde gasped from underneath her.

"Oops, sorry," the black haired girl smiled. "But, congratulations! I didn't know you were so damn good at surfing."

"You can thank Jungeun," Jinsoul grinned. She turned around to find her and saw that the brunette was running towards her with a huge smile plastered on her face.

Jungeun leaped into Jinsoul's arms, both girls squeezing their eyes shut and crying tears of joy. "You did it," Jungeun whispered into Jinsoul's ear in between breaths.

"_We_ did it," Jinsoul whispered back, burying her head in Jungeun's neck.

The two girls embraced each other tightly until an audible gasp sounded from Jungeun. "Jinsoul. O-Open your eyes."

"Huh?"

The blonde lifted her head from the brunette's neck. Her heart dropped as she opened her eyes and she almost stumbled backwards. Her vision was no longer black and white. It was now full of so many different colors. And from the panicked look on Jungeun's face, it was the same for her.


End file.
